It wasn’t all bad
■ Rejeanne Fairhead, a 96-year-old Canadian, last week became the fastest woman over 95 to run a 5K race. Fairhead jogged the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend in 51 minutes and 9 seconds, 5 minutes less than Betty Lindberg, who set the previous record in the 95- to 99-year-old category last year. With temperatures over 82 degrees, the nonagenarian kept herself hydrated with a sports drink and kept her son close to warn her about potential potholes. “I’ve been telling everybody, to me, age is just a number. You know, if you feel good, do something,” she said.
■ When a fire broke out around 4 a.m. in her living room, Claudia Jimenez pulled her two daughters into her bedroom and started screaming for help. Joe Hollins, a homeless man, heard the yelling and rushed to her aid. He told her to drop the children from their second-floor apartment, about 15 feet off the ground, promising her that he would catch them. Valerie, her 16-month-old baby, was rescued first, followed by Natalie, 8, who was holding their puppy Coco. Then Jimenez, overcoming her fear of jumping, dropped into Hollis’ arms, escaping the flames with just a few scrapes. “We lost everything, but I’m so thankful to have my girls,” said Jimenez.
■ When Michael Armus Sr. went to make a deposit at a bank in Woodland, Calif., he overheard a man at a teller window demanding money, as he passed a note saying he had a bomb. Recognizing the man, Eduardo Placensia, as a friend of his daughter’s, Armus knew he had to intervene. He began talking to Placensia, who confessed he didn’t have a job and wanted to go to prison. Armus comforted Placensia, persuading him to walk outside. The two hugged before the police arrived, taking an unarmed Placensia into custody. “It was meant for me to be here,” Armus Sr. said.